It was already dark by the time he left the shooting range.
The winter days in Brighton were pitifully short. The sun began to duck behind the chimneys at four in the afternoon.
Richard walked along the narrow path by the wall, heading toward Grafton Street, his mind still processing the day’s information.
Wealthy families hiring Spirit Mediums to visit their homes around the time of the exorcism festival had become a tradition, indicating a long-term, stable relationship of supply and demand between the two.
Professional Spirit Mediums provided security for rich merchant families, who in turn offered them financial support and social connections.
According to Old Big, Lady Mary’s network of students was already deeply rooted in the daily lives of the local wealthy merchant class.
Mrs. MacNeil was just one of Lady Mary’s students. ’Just how large is Lady Mary’s student network?’
’If every student maintains their own group of wealthy clients, then the total client base covered by the entire network...’
Richard reined in his wandering thoughts.
He didn’t need to calculate the exact size of Lady Mary’s business empire or her standing in the industry.
He only needed to know one thing: this network existed, and it was running smoothly.
If he wanted to develop his own business—brokering and appraising Marvels as he had previously planned—he would need a sufficiently influential backer on the Mysterious Side.
His grandfather, Gerald, might be able to help, but it would be even better if he could use this opportunity to connect with Lady Mary.
On the other hand, the progress he made in learning Spiritual Vision was his biggest gain of the day.
The physical layer of an overwrite could be deciphered with etymology and a cypher key.
But the Ether Layer of an overwrite required Spiritual Vision to peel back.
The advancement condition for his Scholarship Skill on the panel to reach Level 3 was to "personally decipher a text encrypted with a Double Overwrite."
’Spiritual Vision is very likely the key to unlocking this condition.’
’If my inspiration isn’t high enough later, I’ll have to consider whether I should unlock [Perception] first.’
In a few days, he could call Clement to see if any new goods had arrived.
When he reached the intersection of Grafton Street and Post Office Street, he saw the public telephone on the corner.
Richard stood in front of the phone booth for a moment before deciding to call his grandfather.
’I can’t just accept everything a person I’ve known for less than two weeks says at face value.’
’A little verification is necessary.’ Richard pushed open the door to the phone booth and stepped inside.
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP... The call connected quickly, and the butler’s voice came through the line.
"Ashford Mansion."
"Please put me through to my grandfather. This is Richard Williams."
"Young Master, please hold."
After waiting for a few minutes, his grandfather’s deep voice came through the receiver.
"What happened now?"
"Grandfather, sorry to bother you, but there’s something I wanted to confirm."
"Speak."
Gerald’s style was the same as ever: no pleasantries, no nonsense, just get straight to the point.
"Have you heard of a Lady Mary? The one at 17 Huayue Street."
The other end of the line went silent for two seconds.
Two seconds wasn’t long, but for someone like Gerald, it meant he was accessing relevant information in his mind, and the amount of information he retrieved was considerable.
"How did you come into contact with her people?"
There was no tension in his tone, only a hint of surprise.
"I met someone in Brighton who’s a student of Lady Mary’s.
He offered to teach me the basics of Spiritual Vision and Divination."
"I wanted to confirm whether this connection to Lady Mary is reliable."
Gerald asked, "What’s the name of this person you’re talking about?"
"William Bigelow. He’s a coroner in the North District."
"A coroner... Is he on the official roster for the Brighton Branch Office?"
"Yes."
"He hasn’t graduated?"
Richard was slightly surprised.
Gerald and Old Big had likely never met, yet just from the two facts—"coroner" and "student of Lady Mary"—he had deduced that the man hadn’t completed his training.
"Placing students who haven’t graduated into the official system is Lady Mary’s standard practice."
"Her graduation rate is less than ten percent. For the majority who don’t make the cut, she helps arrange a path for them based on their individual traits and skill level.
Some join the various Branch Offices, some become Herbalists, and some become Investigators."
"She doesn’t just teach her students a craft; she also finds them a way to make a living. She’s famous for that throughout the civilian Guilds."
Gerald calmly recounted what he knew:
"Lady Mary herself has a very good reputation in the Imperial Capital and throughout the Central and North Imperial regions."
His wording was cautious, but the information he provided was substantial:
"Her network of contacts is vast. From nobles to merchants, from the middle class to common folk, she has clients and students in every stratum of society.
Quite a few prominent figures in the Imperial Capital have received her help in one way or another."
"Some hire her for exorcisms and to inspect their residences, some consult her when they encounter inexplicable events, and some..."
He trailed off.
"In short, she’s been operating in this business for decades. Her roots run deep."
Gerald thought for a moment, then added:
"Our family works within the official system. When we’re on field assignments, especially around the North, we occasionally need local intelligence and assistance.
Lady Mary’s disciples are widespread, deeply rooted, and have strong local connections. Our people have received help from her students on more than one occasion."
"What kind of help?"
"Mostly informational. Things like whether there have been any recent anomalies in town, if there’s a problem at a certain family’s residence, the whereabouts of Marvels circulating among the populace... that sort of routine intelligence."
"Occasionally, there’s also operational cooperation. Our Hunters handle the direct expulsion, while her students take care of flanking, containment, and cleanup. The division of labor is clear, and they work well together."
Hearing this, the balance scale in Richard’s mind had already tipped heavily to one side.
Gerald was from the Hunter’s Direction and the official system. His evaluation criteria were different from those of a Scholar or a Secretive One.
He focused on "can they be used," "are they reliable," and "will they stab you in the back during a collaboration."
And his assessment was "a very good reputation," "deep roots," and "work well together."
These three points added up to one simple conclusion: ’Lady Mary is legitimate.’
"The business about teaching basic knowledge for free is probably true," Gerald concluded.
"She has a habit of never turning anyone away. She casts a wide net.
No matter your origin or background, as long as you show up at her door and say you want to learn, she’ll take you in."
"Introductory Spiritual Vision, basic Divination, Seal identification... She does indeed teach these most superficial techniques for free, with no tuition and no contracts to sign."
A buzzing static crackled over the phone line. It was hard to tell if it was a poor connection or if someone was interrupting on the other end.
"But!"
Gerald’s voice grew low.
"Precisely because she accepts everyone and casts a wide net, the quality of her students is uneven. The disparity is enormous.
There are the exceptionally talented, the mediocre, the hardworking and diligent, and also those who are just there to slack off."
"That Bigelow you mentioned admits himself that his Spiritual Vision is subpar, his Divination isn’t up to standard, and he can only identify Seals but not set them. The only reason he got into the official system is because Lady Mary pulled some strings for him."
"Students like him aren’t the exception among Lady Mary’s disciples; they’re the vast majority."
His tone shifted.
"In other words... the title of ’Lady Mary’s student’ holds almost no weight."
He said it bluntly.
"If you go around saying you’re a student of Lady Mary, people will just give you a polite nod. They won’t think any more highly of you because of it.
Because they know anyone can walk through that door at 17 Huayue Street, and nine out of ten of the apprentices inside are just muddling through."
"Richard."
"Yes."
"I can see what you’re thinking."
The old man’s voice on the other end of the line was calm and measured.
"You’re thinking about whether you can use the master-apprentice relationship to connect with Lady Mary’s circle.
Her network is large, her client base is broad, she carries a lot of weight in the civilian Guilds, and her roots run deep like a great tree.
If you can borrow the strength of this great tree, your path on the Mysterious Side will indeed be much smoother."
Richard didn’t deny it, nor was he surprised that his grandfather had seen right through him.
"It’s not that this path is impossible, but you need to be clear about one thing."
"For someone of Lady Mary’s stature, her students are everywhere. One more or one less of you makes no difference to her.
In her eyes, you’re just one sapling among thousands. She has no reason to treat you any differently."
Gerald’s words were blunt, but every sentence was the truth.
"You’re on the Scholar path. A Scholar’s roots are in the academic system, not the civilian Guilds.
The civilian Guilds can give you practical skills and an intelligence network, but academic prestige, official status, the channel for Tier advancement... only the academic system can provide those things."
"The Cicero Cup is your foot in the door, and the summer research program is the first gate.
Only by getting into the preparatory program of the Imperial University’s Classics Department will you have truly stepped through the gates of the academic system."
"Once you’ve established yourself there and your name carries some weight in the circle,
Lady Mary will naturally see you in a different light. You won’t have to deliberately curry favor; it will happen on its own."
The old man’s advice echoed through the phone line:
"As for Spiritual Vision and Divination, just learn from that Bigelow. Learning the bare basics will be enough."
"But don’t lose sight of what’s truly important."
"These assorted side-door techniques are nice to have, but not having them won’t affect the big picture. Focus your energy where it counts most."
Gerald added one last thing:
"Follow your Guide’s arrangements and prepare for the entrance assessment for the summer research program. That’s what’s most important right now."
"I understand."
"Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. These calls aren’t cheap."
"Okay. Thank you, Grandfather."
"Mm."
CLICK. The line went dead.
Richard hung the receiver back up and stood in the phone booth for a while.
Gerald’s advice coincided with Mr. Hutton’s earlier hints: the proper academic path was the royal road to success.
Spiritual Vision and Divination were just auxiliary tools, icing on the cake, not the foundation on which he would build his life.
He pushed open the door of the phone booth and stepped out.
A cold wind rushed to meet him, sweeping away the warmth he had accumulated at the shooting range and in the phone booth.
The gas lamps on the street were already lit.
An old man selling roasted chestnuts pushed a handcart past the street corner. The chestnuts crackled in an iron wok, and the heat from the charcoal fire enveloped the old man in a cloud of white steam.
Richard hunched his shoulders and turned up the collar of his coat.
’Grandfather is right. Spiritual Vision and Divination are just auxiliary tools, and learning the basics is enough.’
But he knew in his heart that his need for Spiritual Vision went beyond just "the basics."
He had to follow the proper academic path, but he also had to learn Spiritual Vision.
With limited time, all he had to do was distinguish between primary and secondary priorities.
The main quest line was the summer research program and the gradual advancement on the Scholar path;
The side quest was introductory Spiritual Vision and basic Divination.
The two quest lines could run in parallel without interfering with each other. At certain points, the side quest might even feed back into the main one.
Deciphering a Double Overwrite, for example, required both linguistic skills and Spiritual Vision.
Having sorted these thoughts out, Richard quickened his pace.
As he passed the old man roasting chestnuts, he started fumbling for his wallet.
"How much for a bag?"
"One penny."
He took out a copper coin and handed it over. The old man rolled a small paper cone of hot chestnuts and pressed it into his hand.
The chestnuts were scorching, their heat palpable even through the newspaper.
He peeled and ate the chestnuts as he walked home.
The chestnuts were soft and mealy, with the smoky taste of charcoal fire.
As he passed through Waste Rock Lane, the two kids who were kicking a ball were back, the leather ball thudding loudly on the flagstones.
"Brother..."
His sister’s head poked down from the top of the stairs.
"What’s that in your hand?"
"Chestnuts."
He held up the paper cone.
The girl hopped down the stairs in a single bound, her gray eyes fixed on the cone of chestnuts.
"Give me two... no, I want three."
"You can have half."
"Really?" she asked, a little surprised.
"Hurry and take them. They won’t be as good when they’re cold."
Evelyn took half the chestnuts, an expression on her face that was trying to be reserved but couldn’t quite hold back a smile.
"You’re in a good mood today, Brother."
"Mm-hmm."
"Did your errand go well?"
"It was alright."
"That’s good." She cradled the remaining chestnuts in her arms and scampered back up the stairs.

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